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Wie sees no cons to turning pro
(China Daily)
Updated: 2005-10-13 06:12
However, the self-possessed teenager said she didn't feel any added pressure
to perform.
"I don't see it as pressure," she said. "I see it as incentive to practice
harder."
Wie is looking forward to getting her driver's licence when she returns home
next week now that she has reached the legal US driving age. She is already
enjoying a few perks of life as a professional.
"I was so excited when I got my name on my bag. Usually when you're an
amateur, you can't have your name on your bag. Then my Sony bag came in and it
had my name on it," said Wie, noting the sponsor also came up big with a bunch
of gadgets for her birthday.
She looked a little surprised when Bighorn officials presented her with a
birthday cake on Tuesday. She blew out the candles for photographers.
Wie insisted her new status won't distract her from her main aims - to win
tournaments on any tour she plays and to improve her game enough to be a
contender against the men on the PGA Tour.
While Wie must wait another two years to meet the LPGA minimum age
requirement, she hasn't missed a cut in any LPGA event she has played over the
past two years.
She was runner-up to Swedish superstar Annika Sorenstam at the 2005 LPGA
Championship and tied for third at the British Women's Open.
If she had been a pro all season, Wie would have earned more than US$700,000.
But it's her outspoken desire to take on the men - and
to play the hallowed Masters - that has sparked the attention of non-traditional
golf fans and made her a media star.
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